It's not only the poorest families who need help

children from families with low to moderate incomes are half a year behind their more affluent peers when they start school, so we should support them too, says Vidhya Alakeson

We have long known that children from poor families to school far behind their richer peers. But what about the 5.2 million children in families who are in the bottom half of income distribution, but not the poor? They represent 40% of children in Britain. How do they compared to children from more affluent families?

analysis released today by the Foundation resolution shows that children from families with low and middle income are nearly half a year behind children from more affluent families in the tests vocabulary at the beginning of the school and have more behavioral problems. While the initial results of tests do not predict later success overall, it is clear that those who fall behind early in the school are more likely to perform poorly in adulthood.

analysis by experts in child development Jane Waldfogel, Professor of Social Work and Public Affairs at Columbia University, and Elizabeth Washbrook, a researcher at Bristol University, was based on a nationally representative group of children born in 2000 and 2001. This shows that parents of low-and medium are three times more likely than more affluent parents who have no qualifications beyond GCSE, and that your family income is only half that of the richest group .

• These differences in income and food through education on the differences in what parents do with their children that may explain some of the gaps in school readiness. The fact that parents wealthier and better educated more often read to their children and take them to more museums and libraries is the most important factor in explaining the gap in the vocabulary. The most important breakthrough in behavior problems is that mothers of low income families or average have poorer mental and less social support.
• With the government under severe financial pressure, has been a movement to target what resources remain in the poorest families. This is understandable, but shortsighted. If 40% of children in Britain can not reach its full potential, it is also a problem for the economy. In addition, parents with low income or middle struggling to keep their heads above water, many of them have difficulty finding time and money, create more stress for Children.
• fill gaps in school readiness will require ongoing support for families with low income or average. In action on four fronts is important. First, it is essential that families in this group has no further reductions in tax credits. Second, the government should encourage employers to continue providing flexible working arrangements. Third, local authorities should ensure that some funding available through the provision of early intervention focuses on improving access to quality child care and parental support for families low to moderate income. Finally, health visitors and doctors should focus on early identification of postpartum depression and other mental health problems of mothers in this group.

This will ensure that families cope financially simply can provide positive environments for their children and not to fall into the spiral of poverty in which they became more dependent on subsidies and overburdened public services.

. Alakeson Vidhya is director of research and strategy of the Foundation of the resolution. On your marks: measure school readiness of children in low-income families and half-lies to resolutionfoundation.org

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